Signal apparatus.



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ATTORNEYS 2 16 RMkW'A-Y 'SWWC 5i SIG NALS AvAALABrE r .No. 787,753.PATENTED APR.18, 1905. l

c. B. GUNN.

SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 15, 1904.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR '64 a C ZdZ6nc6B.& u7zn ATTOHI/f AVAlLABLE co'e'UNITED STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

CLARENCE BIGSBY GUNN, OF COLLINWOOD, OHIO.

SIGNAL APPARATUS- SPECIFIGATION formingpart of Letters Patent No.787,753, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed December 15, 1904. Serial No. 236,967.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE BIGSBY GUNN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Oollinwood, in the county of Cuyahoga andState of Ohio, have invented a new and 1mproved Signal Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a device for indicating low pressure in afluid-pressure system-as, for example, an air-brake line for arailway-train and for giving signals from the cars of the train to thelocomotive. Although capable of other uses, these are the principalobjects for which my invention is designed.

As air-brake systems are ordinarily constructed there are conditionswhich take place which permit theloss of the brake-power without thepossibility of any information of such change in conditions beingconveyed to the engineer, who has complete charge of the stopping of thetrains. There are three principal causes of such resultsnamely, thecut-out cock becoming closed either by the jarring of the train orotherwise, the-train-pipe freezing up, and the couplingsnot beingproperly made when the different parts of the train are connected. Thefirst two of these sometimes allow a gradual loss of pressure notsufficient to move the triple valve which governs the flow of air fromthe train-line to the auxiliary and from the auxiliary to thebrake-cylinder into such position as to automaticallyapply the brakes.In the other case the fault is chargeable to the engineer and traincrew.

The principal object of the present invention is to-provide means foralways conveying a signal to the engineer when any of these accidentsoccur. A

Further objects of the invention will be disclosed in the course of thesubjoined description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a train, showing therelative positions of the principal parts of one embodiment of theinvention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal secings by the letter a.

tional view ofa detail which comes within the scope of the invention.Fig. 3 shows a system of electrical connections which is em-v ployed.Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the elements shown in Fig. 3;and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the end of a car,showing a form of coupling which may be employed.

The train-line of the air-brake system which I have chosen for thepurpose of illustrating my invention and to which the invention isespecially applicable is designated in the d raw- It is to be understoodthat any kind of a fluid-pressure brake system may be employed inconnection with the invention and also that the invention may be used inconnection with a fluid-pressure sys tem for other purposes thanair-brakes.

Preferably located upon each car, and especially upon the last car, ofthe train which is provided with the fluid-pressure system is a cylinder7) in constant communication through a pipe 0 with the train-line a.This cylinder is provided with a piston or plunger d, having a rod 6projecting therefrom. An electric circuit f is installed upon the trainand provided with terminals g and g, located in an insulating-frame h,preferably connected with the body of the cylinder 6 by a skeleton frame6 or the like. The frame it is provided with a perforation k, throughwhich the rod 6 can pass into contact with one of the terminals. Whenthe normal pressure is present in the train-line a, it will normallyforce the plunger 61? outwardly, so as to keep the plunger-rod e incontact with the terminal 9 and keep the circuit f closed. Means isprovided for adjusting the plunger cl so that it may be set to keep thecontact closed when any desired pressure is on in the train-line. Thismeans, as shown, comprises an adjustable nut 70 and a spring Z, bearingupon the nut and upon the rear of the plunger (Z.

It will be readily understood that when any of the accidentsabove-mentioned take place the gradual decrease of pressure in thetrainline will, if the plunger is properly set, permit the plunger todrop back toward the rear of the cylinder, so that the rod 6 will bewithdrawn from contact with the contact-piece g, thus breaking thecircuit in the line f. The adjustable parts. of the device arepreferably so set as to cause this to happen when the pressure isreduced slightlyas for example,

three pounds to five.

The circuit f preferably extends along the whole train, and electricalconnection is provided from one car to another by means of a coupling a.(Shown in Figs. 1 and 5.) This coupling is composed in the main of aninsulating material, but is provided with a pair of conductors o. Thecoupling devices are formed in any desired manner, so that when they areforced together they will be caused to securely engage each other and toconduct the currents in the two wires from one car to the other withoutallowing them to cross.

The conductors fare led to the locomotive through a battery q andthrough an electromagnet r to a signal device 8, which may be in theform of a lamp or in any other desired form. It will be evident that anyreduction in the pressure of the train-line below a certain point, whichwill be fixed by the adjustment of the parts shown in Fig. 2, willnbeindicated to the engineer by the extinguishing of the light x or by thegiving of any signal which any signal device which may be substitutedtherefor is adapted to give.

In order to provide for giving a sign-ali to the engineer from any ofthe cars, an add-itional circuit t is employed.- This circuit isprovided with signal devices, preferably a light a and a bell it. Thiscircuit is normally broken and is provided with two terminals o o,insulated from each other and from a stationary frame 10, in which theyare located. The armature r of the magnet 1', which is preferablyconnected with the cores 1' of the magnet, is designed to move towardand from the terminals 2) and to connect them together when in oneextreme position. The magnets r are designed to normally pull thearmature r away from the terminals when there is a current in thecircuit f. When, however, the circuit f is broken through the meansdescribed above or by any other means, the magnets r will becomedeenergized and the armatu re r will dropinto contact with the terminalso if the device is located vertically. If it is located horizontally,springs rr should be so constructed as to operate to pull the armatureinto this position. These springs can be used in either case. Thisconnection of the terminals 0 will obviously operate to set up a currentin the circuit 6 and operate the signal devices a and a. The battery qcan be en1- ployed for both circuits, or a separate battery can beemployed for each, as desired. I prefer that the light 8 should be awhite light and to have a red light situated at a. This will clearlyindicate danger to the engineer when the red light is energized andeither with or without the presence of a bell at a. Pushc AVAlLABLE cobuttons can be placed in the cars to break the circuit f and close thecircuit 25.

- It will be readily understood that the invention is capable ofembodiment in many other forms than the one illustrated and that manymodifications can be made in the form shown without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1.. The combination with a brake system, of anelectric circuit, a signal device, means for controlling the electriccircuit in response to changes of pressure in the brake system, andmeans for sending a current through the signal device when said electriccircuit is broken.

2-. The combination of a brake system with an electric circuit, a secondcircuit which is normally broken, a signal device in the second circuit,means for closing the second circuit from the first-mentioned circuit,and means for opening the first'circuit when the pressure in the brakesystem decreases below a certain point.

3. The combination with a brake system, of an electric circuit, anelectromagnet in the circuit having an armature, a second circuit whichis normally broken, a signal device in the second circuit, means forclosing the second circuit when the magnet is denergized, and means foropening the first circuit when the pressure in the brake systemdecreases belowa certain point.

4. The combination with a brake system, of an electric circuit, anelectromagnet in the circuit having an armature, a second circuit whichis normally broken, a signal device in the second circuit, means forclosing the second circuit when the magnet is deenergized, and means foropening the first circuit when the pressure in the brake systemdecreases below a certain point; said first-named means comprising apair of contact-pieces insulated from each other and each constituting aterminal of the second circuit, said armature constituting an electricalconnection between said contactpieces when the magnet is deenergized.

5. The combination with an electric circuit, and an electromagnettherein having an armature, of a second circuit which is normally open,a signal device in the second circuit, and means for closing said secondcircuit when the magnet is deenergized.

6. The combination with a brake system, of an electric circuit, anelectromagnet in the circuit having an armature, a second circuit whichis normally broken, a signal device in the second circuit, means forclosing the second circuit when the magnet is deenergized, and means foropening the first circuit when the pressure in the brake systemdecreases below a certain point; said last-named means comprisingacylinder communicating with the brake system, a plunger in the cylinder,and

787,753 AVAILABLE us 3 means connected with the plunger and adapted tokeep said first circuit closed when a certain pressure exists in thecylinder.

7. The combination with a conductor containing fluid under pressure, acylinder connected with said conductor, a plunger in the cylinder, anelectric circuit, and means connected with the plunger and adapted tokeep the circuit closed when the pressure within the cylinder is above acertain point.

8. The combination with a conductor containing fluid under pressure, acylinder connected with said conductor, a plunger in the cylinder, anelectric circuit, means connected with the plunger and adapted to keepthe circuit closed when the pressure within the cylinder is above acertain point, and means for moving the plunger and disengaging saidmeans from the circuit when said pressure decreases below said point.

9. The combination with a conductor containing fluid under pressure, ofacylinder communicating with said conductor, a plungerin the cylinder, arod connected with the plunger, an adjustable nut connected with thecylinder, a spring located between the nut and the plunger,- aninsulating-block, and an electric system having terminals within saidblock, said plunger being adapted to pass into said block and normallyhold said terminals in contact with each other when the plunger isforced toward the terminals by the pressure within the cylinder.

10. The combination with a conductor containing fluid under pressure fora railwaytrain, of a signal device located in the locomotive connectedwith the train, and means for giving a signal thereon when the pressurein said system decreases below a certain point; said means comprising anelectric circuit extending from the rear car to the locomotive,

and a coupling for the two conductors of the electric circuit mounted oneach car.

In testimony whereof I have slgned my name to this specification in thepresence of two sub- 45 scribing witnesses.

CLARENCE BIGSBY GUNN. Witnesses:

D. RAY GREGG, W. F. PARSONS.

